Reaching Out
by Nocens Lupus
Summary: SLASH. TenJack. My take on what the Doctor may have done in the weeks after Doomsday and before The Runaway Bride and we finally find out where Jack was hiding before he got to Cardiff.


**Reaching Out**

It had been a while since Jack had ventured out into the Earth club scene, even though the world he'd been stranded on wasn't that dissimilar to his own, he still felt wary of picking up 201st century humans. Not that he was worried about catching anything, with the mass immunisation at birth that the government had implemented he had no concerns on that front. No, his reticence was more over his own problems than other peoples.

He had too many damn memories. 

Too much pain that wouldn't fade, no matter how many on world or off world intoxicants he consumed. He was a born again Jack Harkness because she had willed it. The images in his head plagued him late at night, on the cusp of sleep, that sweet oblivion hovering just out of reach. She appeared then, ethereal, shining, golden, a goddess of life and death. He couldn't decide what was driving him more insane, not being able to forget or trying to work out if the visions were real or imagined. So in desperation he had decided to revert to type: randy Jack Harkness, ready to lay anyone or anything. As long as they didn't have blonde hair and an infectious laugh, all the better. Or brooded and wore leather, for that matter.

And then he had appeared.

The music was loud, permeating his skin and muscle, making his hips twitch in time with the insistent rhythm as he weaved through the press of bodies on the dance floor towards the bar. The lights were low, the atmosphere smoky, even though tobacco had been illegal for a few hundred years by then, perfect for picking up another lonely body for a night of wild abandon. It should have been easy. It _would_ have been easy, Jack berated himself, if he wasn't always looking for two people to fill the void. Ordering a drink that looked like it should be served in a lead glass he raised it in a silent toast, only to freeze, the glass at his lips, liquid untasted. A wave of _otherness_ swept across his skin, gooseflesh raising on his neck, a shiver running down his spine making his skin hyper aware of everything around him. Not just every_thing_, but some_one_. Someone different in a way that he never thought he'd come across again. Replacing the drink on the bar it was instantly forgotten as the feeling only intensified, as if the first wave was the person's entrance, and now Jack was the focus of their attention.

Keeping one arm casually propped against the bar for support, Jack slowly turned, surveying the club as he did so. From automated DJ to the dancing girls in retro 20th century suspended cages, from the people jostling for the bar-bot's attention to the heaving dance floor he tried to pinpoint the source. Swallowing heavily his eyes became drawn to the area nearest the exit, the lights switching, pulsing with the beat of the music, first blue, then red. A glimpse of darkness within the shadows, a vague figure standing behind the writhing throng and even though their features were obscured Jack could feel their gaze from across the room. Swallowing hard Jack pushed himself off from the bar and moved back out on to the dance floor. Without consciously deciding to he began to move through the crowd, purposefully striding through, ignoring the hands that reached out to stroke him as he passed. He'd chosen his ride for tonight. Or rather they had chosen him.

As he made his way closer to the shadowy figure Jack could make out more details. They were male, about the same age as him, not dressed for the club scene; a battered, scruffy old brown pin striped suit and plimsolls from what he could see, skinny too, or perhaps wiry. Jack's gaze wandered up the man's body, taking in the casual pose, hands in pockets, the wry turn of the lips and settled on the intense dark eyes boring into his own. The last dancers melted away into the background leaving them cocooned in the shadows.

"Do I know you?" The question had slipped out before Jack had actually thought about it, but he had the unshakeable feeling that they had met before under very different circumstances. The smile reached the man's eyes this time and he shook his head gently.

"No, I don't think we have." His grin turned reckless, eyes twinkling with just the right amount of promise. "So, I think this is the part where I say 'your place or mine?'" His tone was irreverent, unapologetic and Jack felt himself warm to the man then and there. Finally another person who understood that sometimes all you needed was another body to lose yourself in; why bother with the niceties?

"Whoa there cowboy, I know my reputation gets around, but even so, you gotta have manners. The name's Jack." He extended his hand formally, one eyebrow quirked in amusement. Tilting his head back the man frowned slightly, the grin never leaving his lips.

"Right. So, _Jack_ this is how you do things then, proper introductions and all that. I have to admit, it's not your usual style. Or so I've heard. Y'know, rumours go round. All good, I hasten to add. Very _detailed_ rumours they are too." As he finished speaking he withdrew a hand from one of his pockets and grasped Jack's offered hand firmly. The grip was self-assured, just warm enough to be enticing, long fingers caressing his palm as the man pulled away. "And if you insist on swapping names, mine's Ricky."

"Ricky?" The man, (he supposed he should call him Ricky), nodded once, as if Jack had just passed some test. "Ri-ight. Okay then. You wanna get a drink?" The feeling of otherness that had swept across Jack was still there, lurking in the corners of his mind. There was something about this man, something that made Jack finally relax after so many months of living on borrowed time. Maybe he had been brought back for a purpose, not just because she couldn't bare the thought of him being dead, but also because maybe whatever power had made it possible had also let her see that he was needed. Whether that was true or not, he knew that he wasn't entering into a simple transaction of lust and satisfaction; something about this man told him that nothing was ever that simple. As if to prove a point Ricky chuckled, the grin growing ever wider, as if his face was ready to split in half at any second. "Say, you don't have relatives on Raxacoricofallapatorius do you?" Abruptly he stopped laughing, his nose wrinkling in the most adorably confused expression that Jack had ever seen. Well, since…

"Can't say I have. Is that somewhere in Wales? Near Cardiff? Or Megavissey? Geography's never been a talent, ask me directions for…" he tailed off, his arm waving in the air as if trying to pluck a planet out of existence, finger drawing circles in the air, "mars, and you'd probably end up in Neverland." His gaze turned introspective, the yellow light from the strobes giving the effect of stars in his eyes. For a moment Jack felt another flash of recognition, but just as he tried to grasp it Ricky shook his head and focussed bright eyes back on Jack. "Anyway, drink. Love to say yes, but this music's killing the mood for me. How about you invite me back to yours?" Jack's mouth opened, but the words were lost as Ricky ploughed straight through the pause. "Well, even though I've only known you for the past," he checked an imaginary watch, "five minutes, I think I can trust you. Close is it? After you." Bemused Jack followed Ricky's gesture and stumbled to the exit, wondering if he had really left that drink on the bar or had actually drank the whole bottle and was now comatose in some alleyway somewhere.

The cooling night air did nothing to alleviate the oddness of the situation; this strange man, whose name sure as hell wasn't Ricky, of that much Jack was certain, walking beside him, arms brushing as they walked. He seemed a contradiction, calm and yet bursting with pent up energy; seductive and yet blasé about his affect on those around him. Okay, Jack was the first to admit, the man wasn't your traditional looker, but he exuded this magnetism that just drew you in until you _had_ to fall into orbit around him. It might have been the events of the night so far, but as Jack turned onto his road he could of sworn that Ricky had actually been leading _him_ home, not the other way around. Shaking the thought Jack pressed his thumbprint to the door lock and waited for the light to turn green. From behind him came the sound of whistling and Jack sneaked a peak at Ricky who looked for all the world like he was just out on a Sunday stroll, hands in pockets, elbows out swinging from side to side and whistling a merry tune as he took in the neighbourhood.

"Got a good look, or do you want the guided tour? If you think you're gonna get lost I can give you a map tomorrow morning." A winning smile lit up Jack's features, or at least what he hoped was one, while Ricky paused mid swing, as if giving Jack's quip serious thought.

"No, thanks all the same, I think I can make it back. We-ell, as far as that club anyway and I can definitely, well, probably remember it from there. You gonna invite me in then?" He changed constantly, first pondering deeply, then eager and excited. How the hell was Jack meant to keep up? It was an act, of that much he was pretty sure, to cover what Jack hadn't quite figured out yet, but he was certain that it was no mistake that they had come across each other at the club. Pushing the door open Jack swept his hand ahead of him.

"Sure, go right ahead. Not much, I'll grant you, but enough for what I need." Grinning and nodding Ricky almost skipped passed him and over the threshold, a low hum registering his presence in the flat before Jack followed him inside. "Living room, bathroom, bedroom." Pointing to the rooms off the hallway Jack made his way into the kitchen, heading straight for the alcohol on the counter. "Guess that's the tour over with. Now, do you want that drink?" He could hear him moving around in the living room, shuffling around, moving objects as he went. Not that there was much to move. "Hey in there! Watch out for-" Frantic fumbling noises reached Jack's ears shortly before what sounded like a small avalanche, the warning coming too late. Grabbing the glasses and bottle Jack ran into the living room to be confronted with Ricky sprawled on the couch, his previously precariously balanced magazines and books scattered all around him. A sheepish grin met his eyes from over the cover of What? Spaceship and Jack was forced to chuckle as he watched Ricky try to extricate himself from the wreckage. "Okay, guess I should've warned you about that sooner. Just guess I didn't think you were gonna start rifling through stuff." Finally Ricky shoved the rest of the papers onto the floor and cleared a space for Jack to sit down next to him. Leaning back into the seat Jack felt fingers brush against the back of his neck, toying with the hair there. "Mmm, that's nice." Turning to Ricky Jack stilled, alarm bells ringing in his head, familiarity rearing its head again.

If Ricky had noticed the pause he gave no sign, instead he turned to face Jack, hand still playing with Jack's hair, the air around them suddenly growing heavy with promise. Blinking rapidly Jack felt his breathing increase, heartbeat rising in arousal. The fingers in his hair tightened, drawing his face closer to Ricky's, slowly reeling him in until they were a breath apart. He wasn't sure how long they stayed like that, breathing each other's breath, and nor was he sure who closed the gap, but one of them did because then they were kissing. It was a slow, intoxicating kiss, Ricky exploring Jack's mouth thoroughly, stroking teeth and tongue before retreating, Jack following, teasing and playful. They were both breathing deeply when they parted, Ricky's eyes bright with something deeper than lust, some indefinable _thing_ that Jack couldn't hope to understand. Something subtle had changed in this strange man that had picked him up such a short while ago. Jack was under no pretences now; he _did_ know Ricky, the spark between them attested to that; such a strong and sudden arousal that only stemmed from familiarity. Swallowing hard Jack raised a shaking hand to cup 'Ricky's' face.

"Look, whoever you are, I don't care, that's your business but we both know your name's not Ricky. Hell, no Ricky I've ever met could kiss like that. You don't wanna tell me, I'm not gonna ask. Just don't take me for a fool." Pinning him with his eyes Jack watched as the corner of 'Ricky's' mouth twisted in wry acceptance before breaking the contact to put the glasses and bottle by the side of the couch. There was the sound of cloth sliding over leather and then 'Ricky's' hand reached out to tilt Jack's face towards his own. Their second kiss started as slow as their first, Jack's hands ghosting over 'Ricky's' arms to bury themselves in his hair, deepening the kiss and eliciting a moan of approval from the man next to him. A dip in the couch and then Jack felt 'Ricky' settle himself into his lap, knees pressing against his hips. Breaking apart reluctantly, Jack's grin was reflected by the man atop him. "Smooth." Wriggling slightly the man laughed as Jack's eyes rolled up into his head, the movement sending shoots of pleasure along his nerve endings. Shrugging his arms out of the jacket, brown material pooled on the floor, the man's hands returning to slide up Jack's chest, skimming over nipples that made Jack hiss, watching the man through lidded eyes. Grabbing the back of his neck, Jack pulled him down into a bruising kiss whilst his other hand pulled at the hem of his shirt, yanking it out of his trousers. Sliding a hand underneath the thin cotton he ran his palm along the man's side, thumb reaching out to brush over a nipple causing him to buck in Jack's lap. The kiss forgotten Jack watched as 'Ricky's' head fell back, his hands gripping Jack's shoulders as Jack rubbed the sensitive nubbin of flesh. Taking advantage of the distraction Jack slid his other hand down to undo the first shirt button, never stopping his ministrations as the rest quickly followed, Jack's hands eagerly roaming over the newly exposed flesh.

"Seems I'm not the only smooth operator here." His voice vibrated through Jack, eyes flicking up to take in an amused and aroused expression gracing the man's features. His skin was flushed, eyes dilated and almost black as they bore into Jack's. Raising one eyebrow cockily Jack gave him a 'who, me?' shrug.

"What say we move this to the bedroom?" For a second Jack caught a hesitation, a brief pause in the man on top of him, some memory making him stop and think about what they were doing. "You okay?" Then the moment was gone again as quickly as it had begun; sliding gracefully off of Jack's lap the man got up and led the way through the flat to Jack's bedroom. Pausing in the doorway Jack watched him wander around the room, taking in the meagre possessions scattered about. He looked over his shoulder, studying Jack intently.

"Been here long? Haven't seen you around much, before tonight." Stepping over to the bed he let the shirt fall to the floor, toeing the plimsolls off and tucking them under the bed; making himself at home.

"A while. Haven't felt much like socialising." His throat closed slightly as the ghostly sound of the TARDIS dematerialising echoed in his ears once more. "I lost a coupla really close friends. Kind of makes you wary." He frowned at the change in atmosphere; strolling over to the man he gently pushed him down to sit on the bed. "Look," Jack lowered his voice seductively as he stood over him, "this heart to heart sure wasn't what I was expecting when I suggested changing location. So," pressing the man's shoulders to the bed Jack pulled his own shirt off throwing it to join the other already on the floor, "why don't we get reacquainted?" Shuffling further on to the bed Jack crawled predatorily after the man, sliding his hands up calves, over tense thighs parting them as he went allowing himself to settle in between the man's legs, mouth poised teasingly over a nipple, his eyes twinkling at the other man's. Lying still beneath him Jack could feel his hardness pressing into Jack's stomach, even though he kept changing his mood there was one part of the man that could be relied upon to be constant. Becoming frustrated with the lack of action Jack lowered his head and took the inviting nipple into his mouth, swirling his tongue around the small nubbin of flesh before flicking it experimentally.

"Gods." Expressed on a sharp exhalation and Jack was further rewarded when the man's hands resumed their vicelike grip on his shoulders. Grinning he licked a wet trail across the man's chest before taking the other nipple into his mouth. Beneath him the man started rocking his hips into Jack's, making him moan appreciatively. Hands tugged at his shoulders, pulling him up the bed and pushing him onto his back, their positions reversed. Eyes fierce with passion locked onto his as hands scrabbled at his buckle, wrenching it open, twisting the button free as a burning mouth kissed a fiery trail down his neck, tongue darting out to trace a collar bone as the zipper was pulled down. Arching off the bed Jack's breath caught in his throat as eager hands shoved his jeans down, a warm hand reaching its goal and wrapping around his hard length, stoking steadily.

"Shit, man that's good." Eyes falling shut of their own accord he let the stimulation of hand and mouth carry him away, his existence narrowing down to the sensations this strange man was giving him. Too soon the contact was lost and he groaned loudly, his eyes drifting open at the sound of another zipper sliding down. Jack watched, his gaze becoming more heated as the man moved off the bed, pushing his trousers and underwear down in one, before reaching out and tugging at Jack's. While he let himself be undressed Jack drank in the sight of the man sharing his bed. He was slimmer than Jack, but there was power in the muscles covering his slight frame, long limbed but graceful, holding himself with an inner awareness that Jack had only ever seen in one other person. Shaking the thought away he reached out and pulled the man back down on top of him, slinging a leg around his hip to keep him there, letting their bodies line up, cocks sliding against one another in a sweet rhythm that made them both breathe deeper. Jack stroked his hands over the man's back, revelling in the feeling of contact between them, fingers tracing his prominent spine down, following it over the curve of the man's ass, pressing against his opening as Jack lifted his head and captured the man's lips with his own, a suggestive kiss, the thrusting of his tongue matching his finger as he gently pushed it inside. He felt the man tense then ease as Jack slowly pushed in further, crooking his finger, making the man thrust harder against Jack.

"Like that?" Thrusting his finger a couple of times he withdrew, breaking away, his head falling back as he took in the dishevelled man above him. A quick kiss to the lips was all the answer he got as the man stroked his hand down Jack's side, sliding around and under his body, his intention clear and then it was Jack arching up as a skilled finger worked inside him, thrusting in time with their bodies. "What do you want?" Panted out, Jack nearly didn't recognise his own voice, a pleading edge to the words.

"You." At the throaty admission Jack grabbed the man's head in his hands, kissing him deeply before reaching over to the small chest of drawers by his bed. His hand went unerringly to the small tube and pressed it into the other man's hand as he sprawled wantonly beneath him.

"So take me." Flashing the patented Jack Harkness grin that he knew got him anything, or anyone, that he wanted he was rewarded when the man deftly lifted Jack's leg to rest on his shoulder, slicking his fingers before they returned to Jack's entrance. Staring intently at Jack's face the man slid two fingers inside him at once making Jack hiss at the familiar burning pleasure that flowed through him. Slowly he withdrew them, starting to thrust, stretching Jack on each downward push. All too soon Jack felt himself growing impatient with the careful preparation, the slow thrusts driving him insane, the calm composure of his companion infuriating him. "Nice as — oh man," bright light exploded in Jack's vision as the man twisted his fingers just so, hitting that magical spot. "Nice as that was, I really think I need you fuck me now, before you tease me to death." A smile tugged on the corner of the man's mouth as he withdrew his fingers, bracing an arm either side of Jack as he positioned himself. Hooking his free leg around the man's waist Jack urged him on, feeling him nudge against his entrance he pulled him toward him, eyes fluttering closed as the man pressed forward past the initial resistance.

There. Jack exhaled loudly his body screaming at him to move, to do something, the feeling of hollowness finally leaving him as the man rolled his hips making Jack writhe on the bed, skin alive with pleasure. Opening his eyes he found the man's hazel depths impossibly close, his mouth falling open as he began to thrust; long, steady, thoroughly satisfying thrusts that Jack met with his own. There was no teasing in their coupling now, just a slowly burning desire that fuelled their movements leaving them both breathless, Jack's hands stroking up strong arms that quivered at his touch, across shoulders where muscles bunched and tensed with every movement. The man's chest rose and fell deeply with each breath, as though he were drowning in quicksand, his connection to Jack the only thing keeping him from going under. It was unlike anything Jack had ever experienced before, and that was admitting a lot.

As he lay beneath him, feeling him filling him, completing him, Jack finally realised just who his mystery lover was. Oh, he'd lusted and fancied, screwed and fucked; but he could count on one hand how many times he had loved, and been loved back. And somehow, Jack also realised that he had known even before they had left the club.

"Jack —" The catch in his voice was enough to let Jack know that there were no secrets between them now. As if a veil had been lifted from Jack's eyes and a barrier had been lowered from the man's above him, the connection intensified, eternity stretching, linking them together, a bond that let Jack feel all the possibilities that had ever been and ever were to be. And in that second he knew, without doubt or consequence, why this was happening.

"Don't. Just… keep doing that, faster." A faint sheen of sweat graced his body, the need to feel something overpowering the longing to make it last as long as possible. Falling forward the man braced himself on his elbows, making his thrusts shallow, harder and faster. "Oh, fuck." A manic grin pulled the man's lips back and Jack reached above him, using the headboard for leverage, pushing himself down to meet each thrust, drawing him in deeper. Delicious friction between their bodies and a slow pooling of heat gathered in his stomach, his mind screaming at him for more even as he felt his body teeter on the edge. Leaning down the man captured his lips in a wet open mouthed kiss, thrusting his tongue in time with his hips, rolling them just so, making Jack moan loudly, pressing his body up into the man's, finding that extra bit of friction for his cock. "Shit, Doc, gonna, so close." His body was wound as tight as it could go, so tense that Jack was almost frightened that the release would snap him in two, but needing it all the same.

"Look at me." His eyes shot open at the throaty command and for a second, one blissful moment, Jack could swear that the Doctor's eyes shone with a golden light, but then it was gone, and with a roll of the hips brushing against that sweet spot deep inside and the man's hand on his cock, Jack was coming, hands reaching out to grab onto shoulders that shook with their own release, the Doctor coming on a yell, thrusting erratically into Jack. Gradually he slowed, Jack's hands stroking restlessly through his hair, soothing him. Pulling out he stopped, hovering over Jack, his chest heaving, eyes bright with moisture. Below him Jack watched silently, his eyes open, emotions laid bare in the clear blue depths, feelings that neither of them had ever voiced easy to read there.

"I'm sorry." Clenching his jaw the Doctor rolled off of Jack onto his back, trying to see through the ceiling to the reassuring stars beyond. "I. We shouldn't have done this. Rash decision. It's not what I do, normally." He needed to explain, felt the need to fill the silence with some form of apology, but the words wouldn't come. At least none that would make it better. He heard Jack swallow heavily and flicked his eyes towards him, unmoving, still staring at the spot where the Doctor had been only moments before.

"Is," his voice cracked, the usually cocky tone a distant memory. "Is she dead?" And in a way maybe this was like the delayed snapping of tension, the inevitable finally happening, not in the way that Jack had envisioned it, but he was an adaptable kind of guy. His throat was thick and tight, dreading the Doctor's answer but longing for it to let him escape from the cotton wool he felt that he was fighting through. After a pause that lasted a lifetime he heard the Doctor's throat choke on a sharp laugh.

"No." Relief flooded through Jack as a weight was lifted from his chest. Shifting onto his side he reached out and touched the Doctor's chest, placing his hand over one of his hearts. Neither of them had attempted to clean themselves and a wry smile flitted over Jack's face, they would start to peel in a while but it didn't seem important now. Nothing did. There were still unshed tears in the Doctor's eyes and he covered Jack's hand with his own, still not looking at him. "If she were. Maybe I'd cope better, instead of this void that's running through me." Turning his head he pinned Jack with eyes bright with pain. "You know I would've done anything to save her. Anything. And in the end I couldn't do a damn thing. Just hold on and watch as someone else took her out of our lives forever. Helpless." Muscles tightened, his grip squeezing Jack's hand almost painfully in its intensity. 

"Doc? Tell me what happened to Rose." The use of her name and the conviction in Jack's tone seemed to unlock the last barrier and words started falling from the Doctor's lips, the whole awful story emptying out into the still air, wrapping them in a blanket of regret and solace. After he had finished Jack leant over and placed a gentle kiss on the side of his mouth. "Look at it one way, Doc, that other Earth won't know what's hit it. After all she's seen and done, hell, if anyone could find a way through it'd be her." His voice was upbeat, but they both knew it was more for his piece of mind than through any real hope. "So why me? Why now?" The questions had been haunting him since he had heard about Rose's last adventure, since he knew that the Doctor was alone once again. "The old Doctor wouldn't have let himself get this out of control," at the mention of his previous incarnation the Doctor screwed his nose up in distaste. "He might have been untouchable, but at least I knew what his motives were. But you? You picked me up in a club, engineered the meeting I'll bet, and screwed me, to what? Forget Rose? If you knew I was here all along why didn't you stop by earlier? When Rose was still around." He couldn't disguise the anger and hurt in his voice, and if Jack were truthful he didn't try, somehow it was more important for this Doctor to realise what he had done to him; how he'd used him.

"I'm sorry if that's what it felt like. I wasn't using you, not to forget, I never meant you to think that. Jack, there's no one else around to remember her anymore. Jackie, Mickey, Rose; they're all together; they can talk about me to each other. But me? There's no one to remember her with, the good things, the annoying things, her bravery. Just who she was. Except you. That's why I came looking for you, I needed to be around someone who knew how special she was." Jack's eyes clouded, tears pricking at the corner of his eyes and the Doctor raised his hand, gently rubbing his thumb under one, catching the tear before it fell. "That, and the fact that I'd missed you. Well, the memories of you that the other me had made me miss you. You always seemed to know how to cheer me up. Both of you did." A bittersweet grin graced the Doctor's features. "I wanted to feel happy. After everything I think I deserved it." He sobered again. "But I don't use people." Frowning he dropped his eyes from Jack's, hand falling away from his face.

"Maybe you don't, Doc, but you and me both know the score here. One off, right? A moment of weakness. Could even say it was a way of honouring her memory — seize the moment, just like she did." The atmosphere in the room was thickening, not unpleasant, not yet, but Jack knew that it would gradually grow until it began to suffocate him. It wasn't so much guilt, as realisation stealing upon them both. This wasn't their time. Not yet. "Look, I think we both understand this, you don't need someone to take her place, I don't want to fill that void, not yet. Hell, I just manage to get used to you not being around and then you turn up a damn sight better looking than before, and screw me through the mattress." The Doctor chuckled at that, the wry tone in Jack's voice just hitting the right side of self-deprecating. "You need to go back to doing whatever it is you do. But for now, you need to be alone." Reaching out Jack traced a fingertip along the strong jaw, tilting the Doctor's face towards his own. Leaning in Jack kissed those tempting lips once more. "But when you want company, you know where I am." A look of gratitude passed over the Doctor's face, relief at an awkward conversation averted; they'd both had their share of emotional goodbyes to last several lifetimes. Nodding slowly the Doctor sat up and swung his legs out of bed, giving Jack a great view of his backside as he bent to pick up his trousers. "But," he froze at Jack's voice, a hand ghosting down his spine promisingly. "I didn't say you had to go just yet. The universe'll keep turning whether you're here, or in the TARDIS. Up to you." Swallowing hard the Doctor closed his eyes as a warm mouth followed the trail left by the hand only moments ago, sinking back onto the bed. Maybe they were both right, the universe could survive without him for a few more hours and it might be a long time before he would come back for Jack. Many long, lonely nights stretched out before him.

"Go on, Doctor, live a little!" An impish giggle reached his ears, making him smile at the memory. It was a hallucination; he knew that, but even so, what better way to remember Rose, than by being a little bit more like her. Smiling broadly the Doctor turned back to Jack, turning his back on the pain and embracing life, and the willing man before him.

Just as Rose would have wanted him to do. 

THE END


End file.
